The Chelsea Standard
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
Byrnes: Transit vital to economic development
PUBLISHED: April 3, 2008
State Rep. Pam Byrnes, D-District 52, hosted a town hall meeting last Monday about mass transit and public transportation options in Washtenaw County.
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"Mass transit brings our communities together," Byrnes said. "It connects employers with employees; it connects doctors with patients; it connects businesses with customers. A thriving local economy and efficient, accessible public transit go hand-in-hand."
Byrnes pointed to the success of The Rapid - which offers 19 fixed routes, demand-response services for people with disabilities and those living outside the fixed-route service area, car and vanpooling programs, and the Air Porter shuttle among other services - as a model for the rest of the state.
"In our community, with our proximity to the Detroit area and Chicago, we are in a unique position to be a transportation hub for the state of Michigan," Byrnes said. "We have the talent, the expertise, and the public and private leadership right here in Southeast Michigan to build a world-class system."
Byrnes was recently appointed to a statewide transportation task force that will examine new and alternative funding sources for transportation in Michigan. The task force was created by law to examine the current state of transportation funding and make recommendations for potential sources of transportation funding to replace or supplement the current 19-cent gas tax and the 15-cent diesel tax.
She was joined at the town hall meeting by Terri Blackmore, executive director of the Washtenaw Area Transportation Study; State Rep. Marie Donigan (D-Royal Oak), Chair of the House Subcommittee for Public Transit; Dawn Gabay, interim executive director of the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority; Jennifer Kalczuk of The Rapid in Kent County; and Carmine Palombo, director of transportation for the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments.
Supporting warriors
Rep. Tim Walberg, R-District 7, introduced a resolution with a bi-partisan group of members of Congress that honors the men and women in uniform who have sustained combat injuries in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
"This resolution expresses the sense of Congress that America is committed to ensuring the highest quality of care for all of our injured heroes, and it encourages all members of Congress and American citizens to show their support and appreciation for the sacrifices of our troops," Walberg said.
"Congress has a responsibility to care for veterans, fight to improve veterans care and make sure our heroes receive medical care that is thorough, meets world-class standards and is patient-centered. I am committed to making sure these goals are achieved."
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